An 88-year-old woman, who died last July and did not live in the
village, left her entire estate to the small village of Escoville (850
inhabitants), 11 km north-east of Caen, France.
The donation is worth 2 million euros, or four times the town hall's budget.
Christophe
Cliquet, mayor of Escoville, told LeParisien.fr (16 January): "I
received an email from the notary asking me to come to his office. I
went with my secretary and my first deputy, not knowing what we were
getting into. He told us that the commune was the sole beneficiary of
the will of a lady who had assets. And then he began to list the assets
in question. Bank accounts, life insurance, and then 'one, two, three,
ten houses'."
The name of the donor will not be revealed to residents until 18 January, during the mayor's New Year's celebrations.
The
lady lived in Mondeville, not far from Escoville. But she came from
time to time to pray to Our Lady in the church and to visit the three
graves of her relatives in the cemetery.
"I would pass her from
time to time without knowing her. She was a very elegant, lively woman
who had run a hotel-restaurant near Caen for a long time," said the
mayor.
In return for her gift, she set two conditions. The town
hall had to take care of her family's three graves in the small local
cemetery. And the rental income from the houses must be used to restore
the village church, which, like all old churches in France, belongs to
the state.
The village immediately decided to carry out the work.
They will take out a loan and the income from the houses will pay back
the loan.
A green park is being created and will be named after the woman.
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